Vikings Training Camp Day 8 Roundup: J.J. McCarthy has a better day, but it won’t matter unless one thing happens
Day 8 of Minnesota Vikings training camp is in the books, and there are some very interesting decisions ahead of them.
On Friday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings returned to the field for their third day of padded practices. Once again, it was open to fans, but things weren’t quite as good as many hoped, with the weather pushing the team farther from the stands, making the viewpoint that much more difficult.
Coming off of Wednesday’s practice, the Vikings had some interesting aspects to break down, especially with the quarterback competition. Here’s what happened during Friday’s practice.
J.J. McCarthy had the better day, but does it matter?
All reports out there showcased that J.J. McCarthy had the better day over Kyler Murray on Friday, saying he was more accurate and consistent on the day. Will Ragatz of Bring Me The Sports broke down his day on Friday, with one line to finish that stands out.
“Overall, McCarthy looked more decisive and comfortable than he has on other days, which is encouraging. Even if he doesn’t win the starting job, he could easily be needed over the course of a 17-game season.”
Murray was reportedly inconsistent as well; he threw a couple of deep balls that were impressive, but the consistency on the day wasn’t there. Even so, this competition isn’t going to be decided on the back of one practice.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has been adamant about doing their due diligence with the competition, explicitly alluding to consistency, something which he’s talked about many times.
“We need to be thorough in our evaluation of the quarterback position. There’s a lot on these guys mentally and we owe it to them to be the leader of the franchise to do our due diligence as a coaching staff to ensure we are picking the right guy to lead our team,” said O’Connell during the offseason.
The reality is simple here: McCarthy had a good day, but in order to win the quarterback job, he has to do more than win a day. McCarthy has to be consistent as a processor over multiple practices, which hasn’t happened to a high enough level to get close to Murray.
Jamal Adams sees a change
When the Vikings signed Adams, it was viewed as a linebacker signing. Makes sense, since that’s where he played last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and was assigned No. 54 when he arrived. That might have changed, as he’s now No. 32, and apparently getting safety reps.
Giving Adams safety reps is very interesting. He’s not necessarily a good safety anymore, especially as more of a box guy who is a liability in coverage. However, versatility is huge when you play for Brian Flores. Getting him reps at safety in their big nickel packages makes a ton of sense. It also makes him more valuable to the Vikings overall.
Mr. Mankato rankings
Through eight practices, here are my top five rankings for Mr. Mankato.
- WR Tai Felton
- CB Chuck Demmings
- WR Dontae Fleming
- TE Gavin Bartholomew
- WR Jeshaun Jones
